Fullmetal & Shield
by BelloftheSea
Summary: A second chance. An opportunity to make a difference. Some things will change but some things are simply meant to be.
1. A Second Chance

**Fullmetal & Shield**

A second chance. An opportunity to make a difference. Some things will change but some things are simply meant to be.

* * *

**AN. **This story is based on Brotherhood. The title will make sense later. I've decided to write this story in short scenes. They will flow chronologically but there won't be a lot of exposition connecting them. Um… if you've ever read my other stories, you'll know that I am notorious for going on long hiatuses and then coming back to post one or two chapters before disappearing again. You can probably expect the same here, although shorter chapters may mean more updates. Reviews do help.

**Disclaimer:** Ed, Al, and all their friends are the property of Funimation. I do not own them, but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.

**Rating:** This story is rated T for violence and injury. Language is very mild.

* * *

**Chapter 1: **_**A Second Chance**_

"A second chance? What do you mean?" Edward asked, his gaze drifting about through the white expanse surrounding him. He was shocked to find himself here again. He'd thought for sure he was dead this time; that they all were. When that "Father" guy activated that human transmutation circle – that was the end, wasn't it? They'd failed.

"I could always send you back." The Truth answered. Ed turned to stare directly at the faceless figure as it continued speaking. "You and your friends down there survived the transmutation. You could always try to fix things from this point on, though I don't know how successful you'd be. Just look at the state the world is already in."

The Truth lifted one ghostly hand and gestured to something behind Edward. Ed turned to see a large circle cut into the whiteness like a giant window and, through it, he could see the world. The images changed rapidly but they were all the same. Edward clenched his teeth in anger at the sight of thousands of people – mothers, fathers, children – all dead, all sacrificed to the selfish desires of one horrible being. How could this have happened? Everything they did, everyone who lost their lives to put a stop to this, to keep this from happening – had it all been in vain?

"No. No, this can't be it! All those people… There has to be some way to fix this."

"But there is. Like I said, I'm offering you a second chance. You can take it or leave it. It's up to you."

"What does that even mean?!" Edward was shaking by now. He tore his eyes away from the destruction laid out beyond the window and turned his hard gaze back to the Truth.

"You'll just have to see for yourself, won't you?"

"Stop talking in riddles! Why can't you just explain yourself?"

"Time is short, Edward Elric. Make your decision."

Ed knew what he had to do. If there was any way to set things right, to go back and keep this from happening, he had to do it. But…

"What do you want?"

"Hmm?"

"Equivalent exchange. You're offering me a second chance but what do you want in return?"

"Then you accept?"

"I didn't say that! Tell me what you want!"

The Truth laughed. "You certainly are stubborn. Very well, I'll tell you. All I want… is a promise."

Ed looked up, surprised. "A promise?"

"Promise me, Edward Elric. Promise that you will keep _this_ from happening again." The Truth gestured to the window and Ed turned to look at it once more. The images had stopped moving and settled on a single scene – a little house in the country with two people inside, a beautiful young woman and her grandmother.

Edward shut his eyes tight to block-out the image, unable to accept that Winry was…

"I'll do it. I promise. I'll keep this from happening."

"Very well."

* * *

His hand was small – small enough to grip the tiny piece of chalk without cramping his fingers. What's more – it was his right hand. He froze, disoriented, not sure what was going on. He could feel the cold stone floor beneath his knees. He could smell the musty haze of old books, ink, chemicals and chalk. He knew where he was. He just couldn't figure out how he'd gotten there.

"Brother?"

Ed looked up, startled. He hadn't realized anyone else was in the room and usually Al was so noisy what with his big metal limbs clunking around. But the boy standing before him wasn't made of metal. He was a real, flesh and blood, ten-year-old boy.

"Alphonse?"

Al smiled. "I think that's everything brother. Did you finish the circle?"

"The circle?" Ed looked back at the piece of chalk in his hand and then out at the figure he'd been in the process of drawing. "This is…"

He gasped suddenly, realizing what was going on. Standing quickly, he dropped the chalk and grabbed his brother's hand instead. "Al, you're… but this… no, we can't!"

Alphonse frowned. "What's the matter, Brother?"

"Al! We can't do this. It's too dangerous and it won't work anyway. It won't bring Mom back and I'm not gonna lose you! Not again!" Ed pulled Al into a tight hug cherishing the warmth of his brother's skin and the steady beat of his heart.

"Brother? What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere." Ed just held on tighter. "I thought you said this would work. What about Mom?"

"I'm sorry, Al. I'm sorry. We can't bring her back. It won't work. Mom wouldn't want us to anyway. She'd want us to stop dwelling on the past - to get up and keep moving forward. I'm sorry, Al. I won't do it."

For a moment, they both stood there – Ed clinging to his younger brother for dear life and Al trying to process his older brother's sudden change of heart. Finally the younger boy sighed and returned his brother's embrace.

"It's okay, Brother. You're right. That is what she would want. We'll be alright, because we have each other."

They held onto each other for awhile longer. Then Alphonse pulled away with a gentle smile. "Guess we should clean all of this up then. I'll go get a bucket."

Edward nodded absently and watched his brother disappear up the stairs. Then he turned to look around the room, the basement laboratory they'd used to gather all the ingredients they thought they'd need. He looked down at the human transmutation circle beneath his feet. It wasn't even complete. His sudden movements had smudged the chalk, leaving a mess which wouldn't transmute anything. It was just as well. It wouldn't have worked anyway and the cost… the cost was far too great.

Ed looked up at the ceiling where he could hear his younger brother moving around in the kitchen.

"A second chance, huh? So that's what he meant."


	2. Gains and Losses

**Fullmetal & Shield**

A second chance. An opportunity to make a difference. Some things will change but some things are simply meant to be.

* * *

**AN. **I should probably point out that I am a very new FMA fan. I watched the entirety of FMA and Brotherhood over the course of about three weeks. Enjoyed both immensely, though when I started watching Brotherhood I found myself wondering why they made all the changes in the first anime to begin with. Anyway, I haven't really broken far into the FMA fanfiction community. I'm finding myself having to sort through a lot of non-cannon parings which tend to drive me crazy. Needless to say, I don't really know which themes have or have not been done before. Of course, the "second chance" theme is seen in a lot a fandoms and I certainly don't want to just start reiterating the original plot. That's why I'm writing it in disconnected scenes. I'll probably skip a lot of the in between stuff. I won't be copying anything directly from cannon. I hope to keep my ideas here as original as possible.

**Disclaimer:** Ed, Al, and all their friends are the property of Funimation. I do not own them, but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.

**Rating:** This story is rated T for violence and injury. Language is very mild.

* * *

**Chapter 2: **_**Gains and Losses**_

"Hey guys, thanks for coming out to help me with this. I'd never be able to carry everything back on my own." Winry smiled and stretched her arms while looking around the train platform.

"It's no problem, Winry." Al replied. "It's nice to get out and about for a change, right Brother?"

"Mmhmm." Ed smiled. It was good to be out in the sun with his brother and their best friend – no wars, no homunculi, no power hungry monsters – just three kids who had all the time in the world to be kids… and run errands for Granny Pinako, the old bat.

"Hey, do you think Granny Pinako will make stew for dinner?" He asked grinning.

"Maybe. But really guys, this is great! I can't believe you guys actually came out of your house to do something other than eat. Honestly, I've hardly seen you at all since you got back from Dublith. I figured that once you got done with your training we could actually spend some time together and do something fun. It's really boring around here without you."

Ed chuckled. "Ah, did you miss us Winry?" He didn't see the fist flying towards his head till it was too late and he was on the ground nursing a large bruise.

"Don't make fun! Of course I missed you. You're the only ones who live close enough to see on a daily basis. I'd have to walk to town every day to see any of my other friends."

"Oh, I get it. We're just convenient for you."

"That's not what I meant, you stupid jerk!"

"Dumb gearhead."

"Alchemy freak!

"Brother! Winry! Stop fighting! The train will be here soon."

"I missed you too, Winry." The taller girl started to say something else but whatever it was died on her lips as she processed his words. Ed just laughed. It felt good. Laughing felt good. Arguing with Winry felt good. Living felt good.

In the back of his mind, Ed knew he had a lot of work to do. He had a promise to keep after all. But Promised Day was five years away. And most of the events leading up to it wouldn't take place for another two at least. He had time – time to laugh, time to argue, time to live. He'd gained so much and he wasn't going to take a single moment for granted.

"Hey Winry, what are we picking up anyway?"Al asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! Granny Pinako put in an order for some new automail parts! They're coming in today all the way from Rush Valley!" Winry squealed. "I can't wait till it gets here!"

Ed smiled. "Rush Valley, huh? Go figure."

Winry stopped jumping up and down long enough to tilt her head towards Ed in confusion. "What's so weird about that? All the best automail comes from Rush Valley! Oh, look! There's the train!"

Sure enough, a loud whistle announced the imminent arrival of the train from Rush Valley. Every head on the platform turned to the right to see a pinprick in the distance growing bigger by the second. Ed started to look too but something else caught his eye.

A little girl, probably four or five, was standing on the other end of the platform, too close to the edge. She seemed to be looking for something.

"Come on, Ed! Let's go wait by the delivery station!" Winry tugged on his arm and he turned away from the little girl to smile at his friend's antics.

"Alright, Winry. I'm coming." Winry dashed ahead with Alphonse and Ed shook his head. He started to follow but looked back one more time at the little girl. He gasped. The girl wasn't on the platform anymore. She'd climbed down onto the tracks. What's worse, nobody else in the crowd seemed to notice.

Ed didn't think. He ran. "Hey, kid! Get off the tracks!" His shouts caught the attention of several people but it would take them several more seconds to realize what was going on – seconds they didn't have. Edward barreled toward the end of the platform, knowing he couldn't do anything that would risk derailing the train, but determined to save the girl nonetheless. Without stopping, he clapped his hands together hard and slammed them into the edge of the platform.

In a burst of blue light a stone hand shot out of the platform, pushing the girl off of the tracks and into the grass on the other side. She'd probably have some bruises but other than that she'd be fine.

Meanwhile, Ed tried to skid to a stop but his momentum carried him in an ungraceful, sidelong flop over the edge of the platform. He landed hard on his chest next to the tracks. He didn't have time to catch his breath as the train arrived with a loud whistle and a thundering roar. Ed rolled to the side as quickly as possible, then lay still, breathing heavily as the wheels of the train rumbled past and squealed to a stop mere inches from his head.

"Did you see that?! A boy fell off the platform!"

"He saved that little girl!"

"What was that blue light?"

A cacophony of voices filled Edward's head as the ringing in his ears subsided.

"Was that alchemy?"

"No, he didn't draw one of those circle things."

"What else could it be?"

Ed's eyes shot open at their words. _That's right! I didn't use a transmutation circle. I just clapped like I always do. But that shouldn't be possible since we didn't open the gate. I never saw the Truth. At least not this time around. But I still remember from before so maybe that's why…_

"Brother!"

His body was shaking and he was still breathing hard. He didn't think he could move just yet so he called out to his brother in a shaky voice. "I'm here, Al! I'm alright."

Moments later, Alphonse's face peered over the edge of the platform. Ed smiled up at him. "Help me up, will you?" But as Ed lifted arm to accept assistance, he saw Al's face morph from worried relief to abject horror.

"Brother…" the word came out in a whimper.

"Al? What is it?" Alphonse shook his head, unable to speak, but his eyes were locked firmly on Ed's right shoulder. Ed frowned and followed his brother's gaze.

The first thing he noticed was the blood. There was a lot of it. How had he not noticed before? He was still shaking so hard. If he could get his body to settle down, maybe he could think straight. Where was it coming from? The girl was fine. He was sure of it. But the only other person down there was himself so… _Oh!_

He suddenly registered what was wrong, why his whole body was reacting so badly while his brain struggled to catch up.

His right arm was gone.

_That's not so bad. It's always been gone._

He suddenly felt weak and very tired. _Probably from the blood loss. _

He felt his body being lifted and two sets of hands clinging to his left arm. _Al and Winry, they're probably worried_.

He couldn't hear anything over the sound of the blood rushing through his ears. _Kinda like the train._ But he forced his face into a smile. "I'm alright, guys. This is nothing – doesn't even hurt. Think I'm gonna sleep now though. Wake me when the stew's ready."


	3. Dialogue

**Fullmetal & Shield**

A second chance. An opportunity to make a difference. Some things will change but some things are simply meant to be.

* * *

**AN. **Yeah, three updates in one day is not typical for me. Don't get used to it. I'm just on a roll right now – like butter. So, why did I have Ed lose his arm? Well, like it says in the summary, some things are simply meant to be. Plus, it just didn't seem right for the Fullmetal Alchemist to not have automail. He's gonna need it. Not sure the whole train thing was the best way to do it but I needed it to happen and that's what my brain came up with. Plus, I got in there that he can still do alchemy without a transmutation circle.

From this point on the chapters are going to be more disconnected like I said they would. Each scene will focus on one or two characters, mostly Ed and somebody else though I do have a few scenes planned for just Al, but that won't be for awhile. Obviously, this story has to focus on Ed because he's the one with the memories of what happened. There may be more than one scene in a chapter, but they will be separated. Some scenes will just be dialogue. Actually, this whole chapter is just dialogue, hence the title. I tried to make it obvious who's talking when. I actually had a few more short scenes in here, trying to separate the Ed/Al scenes a bit more, but they were just filler, so I took them out. Oh, and the one scene is just Ed talking to himself. Al is either not there or he's asleep, take your pick.

**Disclaimer:** Ed, Al, and all their friends are the property of Funimation. I do not own them, but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.

**Rating:** This story is rated T for violence and injury. Language is very mild.

* * *

**Chapter 3: **_**Dialogue**_

"Does it hurt, Ed?"

"A little. The medicine and the ice help though… Don't worry, Al. I'll be fine. You'll see."

"Aren't you scared?"

"What? No way! This isn't anything to be scared of. It's just the way things happen… heh… some things are just meant to be I guess."

* * *

"Don't cry, Winry! I'm fine! See!"

"Don't say that! You're not fine! Your arm is… it's gone! How can you be so calm about this?!"

"… I'm sorry, Winry. I didn't want to upset you. I just don't think it's a big deal, that's all. I mean, I'm still alive aren't I? And that little girl, she's alive too. If I hadn't jumped in when I did, she'd be dead right now and some Mom and Dad would be burying their little girl... Besides, this way you can put those new automail parts to good use. No use crying over the arm I lost cause you're gonna build me a new one that's better than ever! Right, Winry? Guess that's one of the benefits of being friends with the best automail mechanic in Amestris!"

"… you're so stupid, Edward… why do you have to be so selfless."

"… I'm sorry, Winry. Next time I'll be a selfish jerk. I promise."

* * *

"Hey, Al! Check this out. There's a whole page in here on Flame Alchemy. It's probably not enough to really learn it but still pretty cool right?"

"Yeah, neat… Brother?"

"Mmhmm?"

"You remember back at the train station, when you saved that girl?"

"Kinda hard to forget. What about it?"

"You did alchemy without a transmutation circle."

"… You saw that, huh?"

"Yeah, it was amazing! That's like what Teacher does, right? The clapping thing?"

"Mmhmm."

"But Teacher never taught us how to do that. How did you learn it?"

"… I dunno, Al. I didn't really think about it. It just sort of happened.""

"Like instinct?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Can you teach me how to do it?"

"Um… I don't think so, Al. I wouldn't know how to explain it.

* * *

"Hey, Granny Pinako. Seeing as how I'm injured and all, you gotta take extra special care of me, right? That means I get an extra serving of stew tonight, right?"

"No Ed, it means you get an extra glass of milk."

"What!? No way! I'm not drinking that nasty stuff, you crazy old bat!"

"Keep it up and you'll be drinking three glasses tonight, you ungrateful brat!"

* * *

"Hmm? Al? What are you doing up? It's the middle of the night."

"Brother... I was thinking… I know we decided not to bring Mom back… that it would be too dangerous and it probably wouldn't work anyway. But... what if we –"

"Al, we talked about this. Mom wouldn't want us to dwell on the past…"

"I'm not talking about Mom anymore. I'm talking about you. I… I was thinking that maybe we could get your arm back, using human transmutation. It's not a whole person – just an arm, so we don't have to worry about the soul or anything. We could make it and then find a way to attach it and –"

"No."

"But Brother –"

"I said, no, Al! We're not doing it, alright! I don't even want you thinking about it! It won't work!"

"How do you know? How do you know, if you won't even try?"

"… I just do. Please, Al. Promise me you won't try anything like that. Promise me…"

"I… I promise, Brother."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Al. I wish could tell you. I wish I could explain everything. I'm not used to keeping secrets from you. We used to be able to share everything, but not this time. There's too much – too much that wouldn't make any sense. How do you explain memories of five years that haven't happened yet – that will never happen the way they did before? So much has already changed. The things that give me nightmares… you never have to experience any of that. You'll never have to search for the Philosophers Stone or worry about getting your body back, because you never lost it to begin with. And that's the way it's supposed to be. I can't change everything but I will make sure you're safe and happy, even if it means keeping secrets from you. Someday… someday I'll tell you everything."

* * *

"Colonel Mustang."

"Do I know you?"

"Uh… n-no! But, um… I, uh, read about you. In the newspaper! You're the Flame Alchemist, right?"

"Indeed. And you are the Elric brothers?"

"Yes, sir."

"Sure are. So, what can we do for you, Colonel? You here to recruit us to become State Alchemists?"

"Of course not. I came because I'd heard that a brilliant alchemist was living here. I certainly didn't expect to find a crippled boy and his brother. I can see now that I made a mistake. I'll take my leave."

"Hey! Who are you calling crippled?! Just wait till I get my new arm! I'll show you, Colonel Mustang! We are brilliant alchemists and we'll prove it! One year, Mustang! I'll see you in one year at the State Alchemy Exam!"


End file.
